January 2019

New Plays for a New Year

My expectations are high after 2018, a year filled with so much great theatre. Good news---it appears that we have many more fine plays coming this year.

This month I will be seeing "About Alice," by Calvin Trillin, at the Theatre For a New Audience. He's adapted his memoir---a beautiful, romantic examination of his marriage after the untimely death of his wife.

There are two Irish imports coming to 59e59: revered playwright, novelist and poet Sebastian Barry's latest, "On Blueberry Hill," is reported to be filled with "sublime writing" and "stunning acting," according to this Dublin review.

The second is "Alone It Stands," by Award winning playwright, John Breen. Although I'm not ordinarily a rugby fan, I can't wait to see six actors playing sixty-two characters in this recreation of an historic match between Ireland and New Zealand.

Another highly respected foreign writer, this time from Brazil, is Rodrigo Noguiera. His "Real" will be at The Tank, an exciting venue for emerging artists.

If our government's hidden power is of interest, I have a pair for you: first, "Intelligence" Next Door at New York Theatre Workshop , anew play by Helen Banner which takes place in a Washington D.C. basement room.

The second, "Is This a Room," at the The Kitchen, is a verbatim piece about the incarceration of a young woman who leaked evidence of Russian interference in our election--- a true story which deserves our attention!

A duo from August Strindberg will be at Classic Stage Company: "Mies Julie," adapted by Yael Farber (which won The Best of Edinburgh Award in 2012), in a new production, and "Dance of Death," adapted by none other than Conor McPherson. I'll be there for both, playing in rep.

For comic relief, get tickets NOW for the raunchy "Fleabag,"by Phoebe Waller-Bridge. If you don't know this powerhouse writer ("Killing Eve," BBC America), read this New York Times articlewhich reports that the London run sold out in TEN MINUTES!

Best wishes for much fun and many plays in the New Year. Hope to see you in an adjoining seat!

Speaking of Theater is a monthly newsletter written by Carol Tambor. Her only objective is to connect New York audiences with excellent Off-Broadway productions, with no commercial interest in any of the shows she recommends.

Carol Tambor is a portrait artist and long-time lover of theater. To see her paintings, please click here. She established the Carol Tambor Theatrical Foundation in 2004 and began publishing this newsletter in 2009.

The Best of Edinburgh is an award given at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which is the largest arts festival in the world. The winner of the Award receives a 4 week, all-expense paid run in New York.

If you'd like to keep up your end of the conversation -- please email me at carol@bestofedinburgh.org with tips about fabulous theater you've seen. There's too much for me to catch everything---- I need my sources!